A Thousand Beats A Minute
by Jac Danvers
Summary: Luna has never seen a hummingbird, though she might have seen a nargle. Dean makes it his job to remedy this situation. Dean/Luna


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. They belong to the wonderful JK Rowling!**

* * *

"You've _never _seen a hummingbird?" Dean asked incredulously, as the girl at his side looked up from the book.

"No, but I'm almost certain I finally saw a nargle last weekend… or at least its tail… maybe…" Luna trailed off, looking dreamily into the distance over the thick tome in her lap. She'd invaded his dusty bookshelf last week, taking the giant leather-bound book about animals. It had been stuffed in his trunk though the years at Hogwarts, and somehow made its way to the shelf; a miracle as Dean hadn't touched it since he changed his career goal from zookeeper to artist in his first year.

Luna was an odd one, Dean had to admit, but her quiet, positive (if slightly flakey) demeanor had kept him sane during the long days held captive in Malfoy Manor, and later, Shell Cottage. In a place where Bill and Fleur's love-sick gazes, and Marge's crochity complaints could drive a man off his rocker (not to mention having to deal with that bloody goblin), Luna was the closest thing to normalcy he could find. After several months, he was forced to admit that once you got past the ridiculous fashion and the _unique _viewpoints she shared with her father, she was quite sane.

"I imagine they hum such lovely tunes," she continued quickly, before he could respond to her nargle comment. "Do you think they know Cauldron Full of Love? Ooh, if we find one that knows that song, maybe we could give it to Mrs. Weasley! That'd make her smile!"

Dean laughed, looking up from his sketch pad. "Nah Luna, they don't really hum. It's just the sound of their wings beating. They flap 'em pretty fast, it looks like they're floating. Besides, the only place you'd see one in England is the zoo."

"Oh…" she sighed, a slight pout of disappointment appearing on her face. "I've never been to the zoo. Once when we were in London, I passed one with Daddy. I wanted to go in, but he always said it was better to see animals in the wild. Which is true, but…"

"Hey, it's ok! I think you'd still like them. We could go to the London Zoo." As he spoke, his pencil moved across the pad of paper that rested on his knees. A tiny, feathered wing began taking shape next to the flower.

In the long hours waiting for some word, any word, from Seamus and Padma at Hogwarts, Dean had asked Luna to tell him about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack to pass the time. As she spoke, he found himself drawing the mysterious animals from her description. When he showed her the picture, she was speechless, her lower lip trembling like she might cry.

"You don't think I'm loony," she'd whispered, and though at the time he still believed she was a little mental, the pure joy in her eyes made the unintentional compliment completely worth it.

Every day after that, they sat on the beach, Dean with his sketchpad and Luna with an outdated edition of the Quibbler. He'd draw the creatures she described, her eyes lighting up when she saw the finished product.

It was their own private tradition, their personal retreat from the harsh reality outside the safe little cottage. And when Padma's patronus appeared before them on the first cool evening of May, bringing the news that Voldemort was at Hogwarts, they'd nearly missed it, distracted as they were over his depiction of a family of nargles.

Of course, they'd survived the final battle, as the wizarding world soon knew from the cover of the Dailey Prophet. Dean's battlefield art had graced the front pages for weeks, bringing him instant fame. Luna, her father dead, declined to return to Hogwarts and revived the Quibbler. For a time, they'd lost touch, busy as they were with restarting their lives after nearly a year and a half of turmoil. But when Dean found himself doodling ruby-throated billybats in the margins of his battlefields, he'd sent her an owl asking to spend the afternoon together. Their tradition began again, once a week sitting on the beach in near silence, sketching and reading.

"Really?" Luna asked, and Dean was once again amazed by how the most average things from his childhood surprised her.

"'Course we can Lu. We'll go next week. Gotta change things every once in a while."

They sat in companionable silence, Luna flipping to the pictures of the rainforest and Dean sketching, until he finally passed her the notebook. A hummingbird seemingly floated around the flower, the soft lines of the pencil making it look like it would fly at her.

"I think I'll enjoy the zoo. Even if they don't recognize the Crumple-Horned Snorkack as a real creature."

* * *

With arms linked, Dean and Luna entered the zoo one week later after he paid their entry fee, despite her protests. Luna was easily distracted by the animals she'd never seen before, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous that she'd apparate into the penguin exhibit, or attempt speaking to Bengal tigers. It was Luna, after all.

As they strolled through the carefully designed displays, Dean felt his stomach churn. He was incredibly nervous, though there wasn't a reason to be. Maybe he was afraid that the hummingbirds wouldn't be visible in the display, or that Luna would be disappointed by them, or she would just hate the caged, freedomless animals or….

Well, either way, he was very concerned that Luna had an excellent time. Not that there was really a reason to worry, because they _always _had a good time together. It was always the best part of his week, unless Seamus tried flooing him after one too many fire-whiskies, but that had stopped since he married Lavender.

"Is that the bird exhibit?" he heard her ask, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"Yup," he replied, eagerly walking towards the large granite-stoned building.

"Isn't it kind of small for the birds? You can't very well keep them cooped up in there all day, they have to fly somehow," she asked.

"It's more open inside," Dean explained as he held the door open for her. "The cases are set up like their habitat, so it's like being at home, except indoors."

A stern look passed over her face, a true rarity, and Dean could understand. For freedom-loving Luna, the idea of animals in captivity and being happy was hard to believe. Hell, he had trouble believing that the animals were alright in their cages. He was determined to make sure her day was fantastic, though, and he reassured her, "Don't worry, there's plenty of room for them to fly around. You'll see."

Her smile returned, and they looked through the window into the macaw habitats. The bright reds and blues of their wings flashed wildly as they soared through the cage. Dean tried to memorize them in action, so he could draw them later.

The duo stared a few minutes, and then Dean ushered Luna on to the toucans, unconsciously placing a hand on her hip that he didn't bother to remove. As the stood at the window, they were both amused and horrified as one of the birds flew directly into the window. It was then Dean realized his heart was racing, which he attributed to his fear that the bird was dead. Luckily, the bird recovered, and it shook out its wings and began flying again. Dean, on the other hand, was mildly concerned that he was having a heart attack.

Finally, they reached the hummingbird exhibit. Luna pressed her face into the glass, and Dean leaned over her, one hand on either side of the girl. Inside the glass, there was a variety of brightly colored flowers- violet, red, and a shade of pink that matched the hideous dress his younger sister's Barbie doll used to wear. "I don't see anything Dean," she said quietly.

"Just wait. Look around the flowers, they like the colors," he said. Luna did as he said, and he leaned over to read the description of the animals.

She tugged on his sleeve, remaining silent. Pointing, he saw that three brightly colored hummingbirds floating around the flowers. "They're amazing!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Did you know, Lu, that their hearts can beat 1000 times a minute? Crazy, huh?" He rested his chin on top of her pale blonde hair as he watched their graceful fluttering from flower to flower.

"No not really," she replied breathily. "I rather understand how that could feel. I'm certain my heart beats that fast when I'm around you." Her admission was completely nonchalant, very Luna-like. It wasn't a groundbreaking revelation for her, not an admission that she expected to change the world, just a simple fact.

And Dean knew for a fact, as he tightened his grip around her waist, that his heart beat the same way.

* * *

**Hey everyone! This is my first shot at a HP story on here, though I have a rather extended story brewing in my head currently. Please review, I love constructive criticism (yes, a little strange, but I like advice!). Best wishes to all! Jac**


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